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We encourage overall wellness through mental health awareness and counseling resources, and support queer black women in pursuing entrepreneurship, higher education, and financial independence.
Arijah Rashid
Founder / Board Director
Arijah Rashid was born in Austin, Texas, and is the Founder and Board Director of the Queer Black Women Alliance. Under her leadership, QBWA was the recipient of a Best of Austin – Best Builder of Queer Black Community Award given by the Austin Chronicle in 2023, BlaQ Award from Whatsinthemirror, and a Human Rights Campaign certificate for their contributions to the Austin community. One of her most notable accomplishments is her creation of a Youth Mentorship Program within QBWA to help at-risk youth involved in the criminal legal system.
She is a Navy veteran with seven years of experience in executive, cyber security, and legislative administration. Advocacy and equity have always held a special place in her heart as she served as a Suicide Prevention Advocate, Sexual Assault Prevention Advocate, and Multicultural Committee President at different duty stations throughout her military career. She is the recipient of two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals and a Flag Letter of Commendation.
Additionally, she is an aspiring criminal attorney with a Bachelor of Arts in Government from The University of Texas at Austin and is currently in law school at Texas Tech University School of Law expecting to graduate in 2027. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, boxing, writing poetry, traveling abroad, and binge-watching good television series. She is a dedicated philanthropist and community organizer invested in empowering others to become the best versions of themselves and eradicating inequities in society.
Nekaybaw Watson
President
Nekaybaw Watson is a queer black woman that wants to challenge systems of oppression by assisting in building a safe community for others like her. She believes there are many different spaces where intersectionalities are weaponized or silenced to make others comfortable. She is a graduate from Texas A&M University where she received her Master’s in Public Health focusing on Community Health Education. She is most passionate about sexual, immigrant, and maternal child education and health and has worked with different organizations and administrative offices around Texas to find resources and access to healthcare for these groups. In her free time, she loves cooking, singing, hiking, and trying new things around the city. As a board member of Queer Black Women Alliance Nekaybaw is committed to being an outspoken voice that represents those who never feel represented, and she will work to create a safe and accepting space for all.
Hadassa Roméus
Grant Writing Director
Hadassa Roméus is a multimedia artist and storyteller, who is passionate about (re)defining liberation, starting with fostering communities around decolonizing minds. She grew up in Haiti, which shaped her dedication to combating global injustice, poverty, violence, imperialism, and terrorism.
Hadassa believes in the revolutionary power of expanding our imaginations of what is possible, through creating arts that transcend time, and space, saving the lives of queer and Black people like her, by making them feel seen. Her masters in Technical Communication and Rhetoric cemented her expertise in creating across genres, including in her career in the tech industry.
As a member of the board, she is dedicated to assisting people in reaching their potential to make a difference, through connection, collaboration, and care. In her free time, you can catch her watching the waves under a full moon, hugging a tree, flying around in the TARDIS, creating with words, scents, sounds, textures, colors, or being captivated by mysteries of existence.
Crystal Martin
Board Member
Crystal Martin is an accomplished business professional with over 15 years of experience in various industries such as wealth management, vacation rentals, and Wi-Fi technology. She’s led various projects, oversaw major company portfolios, and facilitated client engagement for optimizing product sales and strengthening company-customer relationships. Beyond her role, Crystal’s core value and mission is to support and uplift black voices, and to advocate for black people across intersectional identities. She held a leadership role within the Womxn of Color Collective, volunteered for Jane’s Due Process, and is currently a leader of the Black Employee network where she creates impactful programming to enhance the black experience. Crystal is both elated and humbled to be a board member of the Black Woman Queer Alliance. She has lived in Austin since 2018 and enjoys hiking, weightlifting, ax throwing, and spending time with friends and family.
Nneka Izagbo
Board Director
Nneka Izagbo is a Nigerian born and raised queer black woman who emigrated to the United States in 2016. Nigeria is known for being extremely homophobic and poses safety concerns for queer people, so finding community was almost non-existent. In her transition to the United States, she has been able to find camaraderie within The Queer Black Women Alliance which has in turn assisted her in living and loving openly in the best ways possible. Nneka is a four-year veteran of the U.S. Army where she specialized in supply chain and logistics and is currently completing her Masters Degree in Information Technology from University of Arkansas Grantham. She hopes to attain a postgraduate degree in the near future. She is a believer in higher education for all and is very passionate about the possibilities of assisting other queer black women to reach their highest potential by furthering education, building mental agility, and creating a safe and welcoming environment through the organization. Nneka enjoys hiking with her dog, cooking, organizing spaces, socializing, and networking on the weekends.